Mailbag: City should investigate field issue

Tucked under the issues of increased density and the financing of the 60th anniversary celebrations, an important and revealing problem appeared at the Feb. 5 council meeting.

Resident Roger Chadderdon rose to complain that his Costa Mesa men's softball league's time slot at the TeWinkle Park field was being given over to a football program operated by Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart.

I think this shows a disregard for city procedures and simple fairness.

Whether or not the softball leagues get their fields back, this is an issue of some importance, and an investigation is warranted.

Tamar Goldmann

Costa Mesa

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Resignation was over fields

I think that maybe recreation manager Bob Knapp does not fit in in Costa Mesa City Hall.

He puts morals and ethics above politics and connections.

Perry Valantine

Costa Mesa

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Colleges can require release forms

So some high schools are reluctant to provide university admissions offices with an applicant's disciplinary or expulsion record because of the threat of a lawsuit by parents.

If the likes of USC, Stanford and other schools want those records, which is understandable if they are to determine an applicant's suitability for admission, there is a very simple remedy.

The universities can require that people who want to be considered for admission sign a release of their high school records. No release, then don't bother applying. No threat of a lawsuit to the high school, and the university gets an unfiltered view of the applicant.

Now, as to Newport-Mesa Unified School District apparently refusing to disclose any facts related to the culpability of the 11 students expelled from Corona del Mar High, citing confidentiality rules: No one is asking for the students' identities, only the acts that were committed.

The district didn't seem to have any problem with confidentiality when it announced the students' punishments, so why invoke confidentiality now? Given that a district discipline official indicated that there were varying levels of culpability, the district needs to disclose the specific acts of participation in the scheme.

It is not unreasonable for the community to want to know if the punishment was commensurate with the conduct.

Joe Nedza

Newport Beach

Cheating is the new standard

Why on God's green earth is anybody surprised that a few kids were caught cheating at Corona del Mar High School? They were simply doing what they have learned from our great society — that cheating pays. Cheating is the new norm.

Look at our government, from the federal down to the tiniest rural city. T

he U.S. financial sector and corporate America are outrageously corrupt. The big banks are in cahoots with Wall Street.

Regarding our public education system, teachers who couldn't teach fish to swim are given lifetime tenure.